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'Hatfield & McCoys' ratings stay high as fans choose sides

May 30, 2012 | 2:53
pm

History's smash-hit miniseries "Hatfields & McCoys" has fans choosing sides all over again -- this time with hashtags instead of buckshot.

On Tuesday, the second installment of the miniseries about the 19th century family feud starring Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton drew 13.1 million total viewers, according to Nielsen. That's only a slight drop compared with the enormous 13.9 million for Chapter 1 on Monday, and "Hatfields" retained all of its viewers among adults ages 25 to 54.

Because very few programs match their premiere ratings -- first nights always include curiosity-seekers and the fickle -- the "Hatfields" score is impressive indeed. The miniseries ends Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, fans are already choosing sides in social media, with the Twitter hashtags #teamhatfield (for the family headed by Costner) and #teammccoy (Paxton's side) surging in popularity. In so doing, they've rearticulated an infamous clan war into something akin to a modern sporting contest.

Take, for example, @mickshaffer, who tweeted: "Devil Anse has shown he won't mess with the McCoys unless they mess with him. #TeamHatfield."

Countered @micks20: "I hate the Hatfields!!! #teamMcCoy."

Given that the real Hatfield-McCoy feud raged on for nearly 30 years, the possibility of a TV series arising from all this does give one pause.